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Because the smell of rotten cabbage in the Clubroom had not completely dissipated, Asakura and the others could only use the Service Club as their base of operations for these two days.
Although there wasn't an actual division, based on frequency of use, there was actually an unspoken boundary between the Magic Club and the Service Club.
However, as the Magic Club's personnel grew, the boundary seemed to gradually shift quite a bit towards the Service Club's side. Now, Yukinoshita Yukino basically only sat near the window and read books.
And the half belonging to the Magic Club had accumulated quite a few more things compared to its initial empty state.
For example, an assembled bookshelf with an unusually skewed price, a storage cabinet filled with snacks and labeled 'Yanami's Feeding Station' (the key was kept by Asakura), a computer desk slightly modified from a discarded school desk, and the computer Asakura was currently using.
Asakura himself wasn't particularly attached to computers, but he had managed to get some useful software from Ryunosuke, and even for this 'vinegar', he had to 'wrap some dumplings' no matter what.
Normally, this computer was always running, used to train and cultivate the simple AI that came with Ryunosuke's software. Although not much time had passed, it was already running quite impressively.
However, Ryunosuke never delved too deeply into things he wasn't interested in, and clearly, supernatural events like ghost stories were also categorized as things he wasn't interested in. If it weren't for Asakura's request, he probably wouldn't even have the inclination to investigate.
So, this AI, which inherited some of Ryunosuke's thought processes, merely 'mined for gold in the cesspool' by following the rules from places like 2ch and 5ch, and the ghost stories it ultimately found and summarized were more or less those that people on the internet were interested in, such as the more bizarre types like 'Yamanokemono'…
The content Saori compiled and organized, however, was different. Most of the stories in her collection of ghost stories seemed to have been heard from so-called 'psychics' and some mediums who appeared on TV. Considering classification and censorship, most of the content was much more conservative or even traditional, belonging to the type that wouldn't even cause a ripple if posted on a forum because it wasn't bizarre or terrifying enough.
However, these ghost stories were indeed a bit bland as tales, but for Asakura, they were just right.
Just like the 'Nonexistent Shrine' that Saori brought up as an example earlier.
According to the content she recorded, this shrine has occasionally been stumbled upon by travelers from nearby since ancient times, but it's very difficult to find if one specifically searches for it. It's merely a lower-tier ghost story, similar to a divine disappearance. However, in modern times, with the popularization of mobile navigation, this ghost story has taken on some new variations. It's said that if you use mobile navigation nearby, you can occasionally be guided to that shrine.
The key is that this shrine doesn't seem to have any particularly scary rumors. Aside from a medium who supposedly disappeared there a few years ago, the most famous legend of this Nonexistent Shrine is that 'the enshrined divine body can grant wishes.'
Asakura briefly checked Ryunosuke's software's screening records and found that there were indeed records of this ghost story online. However, the rather misleading gimmick of 'granting wishes' naturally attracted many people, but the final results were all empty, just a waste of time in the wilderness.
Because many people complained about being scammed, Ryunosuke's software's AI determined it to be a scam and directly filtered it out.
If it were just this, Asakura would probably only treat it as the fabricated lies of those psychic swindlers seen on TV. But according to Saori's records, more than one medium or psychic claimed to have seen this shrine, and even the disciple of the medium who disappeared was a direct witness to the incident and seems to still be searching for this Nonexistent Shrine.
This made Asakura a little interested.
Of course, he wouldn't believe in granting wishes. After all, from ancient times to the present, besides Dragon Ball, things that claim to grant wishes are generally not good.
However, from all appearances, that shrine doesn't pose much danger. It won't be like the Yamanokemono incident, where a leisurely camping trip suddenly turned into an exciting and tense mountain arson...
Given this, even taking Asagumo Chihaya and the others along shouldn't cause any trouble, or rather, even if there is trouble, it should be something he can handle himself, without harming others. It seems like a good group activity for the Magic Club.
"Can these really be considered Magic Club activities?"
Yanami Anna looked at Asakura, who was using Saori's ghost story scrolls and the map on the computer as references to plan the route in advance, and asked with a belly full of complaints.
"Then, Yanami, what do you think Magic Club activities should be like?"
Asakura stopped typing on the keyboard and asked the girl.
"It's like everyone gathers in a dark room, drawing magic circles with bird blood, lighting incense, and silently chanting spells around the magic circle. Of course, the used chicken can be roasted and eaten… Besides that, there's drinking grape juice and meditating on soft cushions, sensing ether with our minds… Or investigating ancient wizard recipes to recreate them with modern methods to see how they taste…"
Yanami Anna mused.
"Setting aside the first part, the latter part has completely gone off-topic, hasn't it?"
Asakura retorted, "You just want to eat, and ancient wizards were from Europe. Their recipes…"
At this point, Asakura paused.
If it were Yanami Anna, she might actually be able to eat even stargazy pie, jellied eels, and haggis (a super gamey and fishy sheep's stomach stuffed with offal).
"That's still better than Asakura-kun taking everyone to such a distant mountain!"
Clearly, the girl's main reason for objecting was simply that she didn't want to climb mountains.
"No climbing, no survival!"
Asakura said loudly.
"Are you a caveman?!"
Yanami Anna yelled angrily.
"Correction, cavemen didn't live by climbing mountains. They just happened to live in stalactite caves at the top of mountains."
"I'm making a joke about you!"
The girl shrieked.
"Please be quiet, there are others here."
Yukinoshita Yukino by the window suddenly said coldly, seemingly displeased that her reading was disturbed.
"Ah, sorry…"
Yanami Anna was overwhelmed by the other person's aura and instinctively apologized instantly.
By the way, Yuigahama Yui was on duty and hadn't arrived yet.
"Since it's come to this, I'll expose my belly as an apology."
Asakura finished speaking, making a face as if he had made a great sacrifice, and began to take off his clothes.
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